Effects of living in the Woods on Older Kids

[countryhorror]

Hello little details,
Two of the characters in the story I'm drafting get abandoned in the woods by their parents. They're about 10 years old when that happens and at the start of the actual story they're 13/14, with ideally only a couple of months passing after leaving the woods. I have not worked out the exact details, though since I'm working in a fantasy setting I have considered having fairies kidnap one or both of them to explain the timeframe.
So far my research has only yielded cases where the isolation started way too young for my time frame, or the child in question was gone for only a few days.
I assume social skills *will* be negatively affected by isolation, but to what extent? Are there any other major psychological effects I should keep in mind? Any behaviors you'd expect to form after the period?
Thank you all in advance !

Comments

[winterbird]

The OP explains that it's a fantasy series with the potential for fairies kidnapping them to explain the timeframe (potentially without human intervention) so I think we can assume isolation is the idea!

[voidampersand]

Yeah, I know.

Even the boy who survived the Holocaust by living in the woods was not completely isolated. He was helped by others. He helped others himself. There was a dispersed, very marginal, very precarious community of Jews in the woods. But it was a community, and it had some contact and support from people outside.